Keep reading for the Coconut Maple Banana Bread recipe after the jump…

Coconut Maple Banana Bread

There are so many reasons to make banana bread. Mostly, the reason occurs because you have a few ripened and browned bananas lying on the counter, looking unappetizing as ever, but yearning to be used. Sometimes, the reason is because you get in that baking mood and you want something healthy and utterly satisfying. Other times, it’s because you are hung-over and you need a distraction from feeling like you might bite the dust. Either way, all are good and all are equally acceptable. Unfortunately for me, my reason, was the latter. What a night we had! We had a little too much fun with great company last night and today I am paying for it. After working all day, I came home and knew I needed a little something special for a night in with my main squeeze. We both needed it, really.

Banana bread is something my mother and I always made together. Except, the version we made when I was little yielded 1/2 cup Crisco. (gasp!) I know, right? It seemed like we made a lot of things with vegetable shortening and now you couldn’t pay me to touch the stuff. I decided to make some real changes and attempt a vegan adaptation. The bread is moist and not overly dense, because the almond meal and shredded coconut appear in place of extra flour. This banana loaf cured my post-party blues and helped me realize that I just might possibly survive this day. Phew.

Coconut Maple Banana Bread {Vegan}

(Prep time: 5 minutes, Bake time: 50 minutes)

3 ripe medium bananas (*see note if your bananas are not yet ripe)

1 1/2 cups spelt flour (or whole wheat flour)

1 cup almond meal

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 tsp aluminum free baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/4 cup organic coconut oil, melted at room temperature

2 TBSP organic maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

*If your bananas are very yellow and not yet ripe, preheat oven to 425º. Arrange bananas (with peels on) on a small baking sheet and roast them on the middle rack for about 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and then carefully remove the peels (they will still be a bit hot) and then mash the bananas in a medium bowl, set aside.

1. Preheat oven to 350º and grease a loaf pan with coconut oil. Sift all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and set aside. In a medium bowl mash the ripe bananas until there aren’t any large chunks. Add the almond milk, brown sugar, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar and mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold to combine (try not to stir around too much here or the bread becomes too dense). Pour into the loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or cover with foil to allow some of the steam to absorb back into the bread. Serve with a dollop of yogurt and fresh berries.